Filter



J. WEIDMANN.

FILTER.

(Application filed June 17. 1898.)

{N0 Modei.)

Patented May l6 ,-l899.

2 heats-Sheet I" WITNESSES.

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NITED STATES PATENT y OFFICE.

JACOB WEIDMANN, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,001, dated May 16, 1899. Application filed-Tune 17, 1898. Serial No; 683,732. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J ACOB WEIDMANN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Filters; and I do hereby declare the following to beafull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object is to provide a filter which will rapidly and effectively purify a large volume of Water and thoroughly eliminate therefrom all gross impurities, together with all deleterious matter, which in use will not become clogged with the retained matter, which may be easily cleansed and kept in condition'for practically continuous use, and which will be simple of construction and of great durability in use.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinationof parts of a filter, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the art in which this invention is particularly intended for use-namely, in connection with silk-dyeing-an enormous quantity of water is used daily, and it is absolutely essential that this water shall be pure and free from any dirt, coloring-matter, slime, or impurities of any kind. When it is taken into consideration that the quantity of water used runs up into the millions ofgallons per diem, it will be apparent that the filters must be of very large capacity to handle such a volume of Water and to thoroughly cleanse and purify thesame for use.

As is well known in all manufacturing cities where the refuse water and other materials from the mills, factories, and the like are dis charged directly into the river or stream'upon which the city may be located, this stream inevitably becomes so foul and contains so much filth and poisonous animal and vegetable matter as to kill all animal life.

In my case the silk-dyeing Works are located at the lower extremity of the city of Paterson, New Jersey, and consequently the water from the Passaic river that passes my works is in the foulest possible condition, so much so that even a small quantity when taken into a glass presents the appearance of grained wood, will not possess the requisite filthy ditch-water. It is upon this supply of water that I have to depend for furnishing pure and clean water to be used in my works.

Ordinary filters, such as are in common use, even if constructed on a large scale, are absolutely useless for my purpose, as in a very short time the impurities contained in the water will clog up the filters and render them inoperative. The desideratum is not only to have a supply of clean and pure water, but to have it in such volume as may be required, so that under all conditions -that is to say, no matter how foul the water may be, even if additionally foul, as from heavy rainsthe supply will always be equal to the demand,

As aresult of experiments extending over a number of years I have found that by employing as a filtering medium finely-divided coke and excelsior perfectly satisfactory results are attained; but even in the use of the excelsior a particular kind must be employed, and as an excelsior best suited for my purpose I have found that produced from the wood of the tulip-tree, known commercially as white wood,to be most effective, inasmuch as the same is very soft and open grained, thus presenting the requisite absorbent qualities, and by reason of its fuzzy, furry, filamentoid, or pile surface it acts to catch and retain slime and the finest impuri ties, Whereas excelsior produced from other woods, particularly from a hard or closeretaining and absorbent qualities necessary to accomplish theadesired result.

I have found that the best results are at tained by dividing the i'nfiowing volume of foulwater-that is to say, the water coming directly from the source of supply-and dirooting it through two filters, so that instead I 'of the first filter catching the bulk of the impurities, which would tend rapidly to clog the filter, and thus necessitate its frequentcleansing, these impurities will be divided between two filters, resulting not only in avoiding clog ging the filters,,but also permitting a greater discharge of water to the succeeding filters, In carrying my invention into effect I provide in this instance five stands of filters, each stand comprising four filters arranged in a row, and between each stand is arranged a pressure equalizer and distributer, the func portion of the filter.

tion of which, as its name indicates, being to cause a practically uniform pressure and dis-- charge through the whole stand of filters with which it connects. The value of this feature will be readily appreciated when it is taken into consideration that it would be practically impossible to pack four or more filters with such evenness and precision that the discharge of water from all will be the same, as it will be inevitable that some will discharge with greater rapidity than others, so that in effect if the filters were simply connected up in series and one filter discharged into another there would be an uneven discharge at the exit end of the series, the force of discharge fluctuating with the capability of the succeeding filters to handle the water passing through them. To obviate this, the pressure equalizer and distributer is employed in connection with each stand of filters, and by this arrangement the pressure and discharge are kept up throughout the whole series, and at the exit end, where the final distributer is arranged, a constant and practically unvarying flow of water will be discharged.

To rendertlie filters as effective in cold weather as in warm, I may provide steamcoils to encircle the filters and the pressure equalizers and distributers or to be arranged between them, as may be most effective or convenient, so that when the filters cease work for the night there will be no danger of the water therein becoming frozen, thus rendering the plant inoperative.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, I have illustrated one form of embodiment of my invention, it being understood that other forms of embodiment may be employed without departing from the spirit of the same.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view in side elevation displaying somewhat diagrammatically a filtering plant embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a viewin plan showing more particularly the connection between the filters and the pressure equalizers and distributers.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 2 thereof, I have shown in this instance live stands of filters, each stand comprising four filters, the filters in each stand being out of communication with each other, each stand being designated, respectively, by A, B, O, D, and E, and arranged between each stand of filters is a pressure equalizer and distributer, (designated,respectively, by A B C D and E The filters A, 'B, O, D, and E are constructed, preferably,

of boiler-iron, and each is provided near its top with a door a, through .which access may be had to the interior of the filter for the purpose of filling the same with the filtering medium and near its bottom with a manhole a by which to permit cleansing of the lower Each filter is also provided with an escape-pipe a carrying a valve a this pipe connecting with the sewer or other place of discharge, and being designed to permit of the filters being emptied when desired for the purpose of cleansing or repair. At a point near the bottom of each filter is arranged a screen a which rests upon the legs or uprights a, secured to the bottom of the filter, and arranged near the top of each filter is a similar screen a bearing against legs a projecting downward from the top of the filter, the function of the lower screen a being to support the filling of coke a and that of the upper screen to keep the filling of excelsior a out of contact with the top of the filter and also to prevent any escape of the excelsior through the discharge-pipes. In this instance the filling of coke occupies about two-thirds of the height of the filter between the two screens and the excelsior the remaining third; but it is to beunderstood that these proportions may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

As all the filters are constructed in the manner described, a description of the operation of one will serve for the whole.

The water is supplied to the first pressure equalizer and distributer A through a pipe f, connecting with a tank F, supported in this instance upon the roof of the building containing the filters, and at such elevation as to insure the proper fall to give the requisite head to the water, the water to the tank being supplied from a pipe Gr, connecting with. a force-pump, (not shown,) drawing the water from the supply-in this instance, the river. The pipe f is provided with a valve f by which the supply of water may be regulated or cut off. The pressure equalizer and distributor A is connected with the two stands of filters A B by branch pipes (i and ICC 1), these pipes entering the filters below the screens a Each branch pipe is provided With a valve (1 and 19 respectively, so as to permit either stand of filters being cut out B and out of the topof each filter through adischarge-pipe e and b, respectively, to the second pressure equalizer and distributer 13 It will thus be seen that the first pressure equalizer and distributer has one supply-pipe and eight branch pipes, and that the second pressure equalizer and distributer B has eight supply-pipes, this being caused by the connection therewith of the eight dischargepipes leading from the filtersA and B. Each discharge-pipe is provided with a valve, as a, by which to cut out from the pressure equalizer and distributer the filter discharging therethrough. The pressure-equalizer B has four branch pipes b each carrying a valve 1) these pipes entering the stand of filters O, and from the top of the filters extend IIO discharge-pipes c, carrying a valve and connecting with the pressure equalizer and distributer G the same order being kept up to thefinal pressure equalizer and distributer E which is provided with the discharge or outlet pipe a, leading to the place of use. By the arrangement of valves on the discharge-pipes and on the branch pipes any one or more of the filters may be cut out from the series for the purposeof cleansing or repair.

While the supply of water to the filters is in this instance shown as being from the bottom portion of the filter'and the discharge from the top, it is to be understood that these conditions may be reversedthat is to say, the feed of water may be from the top of the filters and the discharge from the bottom without departing from the spirit of my invention. Of course when the-relative positions of the feed and discharge pipes are changed it will also be necessary to change the relative positions of the filtering mediumsthat is, to place the eXcelsior at the bottom of the filter and the coke at the top. It is also to be understood that the number of stands of filters and the number in each stand may be changed to a greater or less number if found necessary or desirable, and that instead of having the last equalizer and distributer E discharge to the place of use the pipe 6 upon this distributer may connect with another stand of filters, thus further to purifythe water, and as such arrangement will be obvious an illustration of it is deemed unnecessary.

To obviate the possibility of the filters becoming inoperative in cold weather, as from the water freezing either in the filters themselves, the discharge-pipes, or in the pressure equalizers and distributers, I may employ steam-pipes to inclose the filters, as indicated by H in Fig. 2, wherein only the first stand of filters A is shown in connection with these steam-pipes, this merely to avoid confusing the drawings, it being understood that each stand of filters is similarlyinclosed by steampipes; -or instead of the arrangement shown the coils may extend only on two sides of the filters, the exact arrangement being a mere matter of mechanical choice, the object being, as stated, to prevent any freezing of the filters in extremely cold weather.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with a plurality of filters, of a pressure equalizer and distributer, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a plurality of filters, of a pressure equalizer and distributer,

and means for cutting off communication between either of the filters and the pressure equalizer and distributer, substantially as described.

3. A filter having a filtering medium comprising a body of crushed coke superimposed by a mass of excelsior, screens for keeping the coke and the excelsior out of contact with the ends of the filter, a pressure equalizer and distributer discharging below the under screen, and a discharge-pipe arranged above the upper screen, substantially as described.

4. A filtering plant comprising stands of filters disconnected from each other, a pres sure equalizer and distributer arranged adjacent to each stand, a source of supply connecting with the first pressure equalizer and distributer, connections between the pressure equalizer and distributer and the filters of the first two stands, pipes discharging from the first two stands of filters into a second pressure equalizer and distributer, connections between this latter pressure equalizer and distributer and a third stand of filters, and so on throughout the system, the last pressure equalizer and distributer connecting with the place of use, substantially as described.

5. A filtering plant comprising stands of filters disconnected from each other, a pressure equalizer and distributer arranged adjacent to each stand, an overhead source of sup ply connecting with the first pressure equal= izer and distributer, connections between the pressure equalizer and distributer and the filters of the first two stands, pipes discharg ing from the first two stands of filters into a second pressure equalizer and distributer,con nections between this latter pressure equalizer and distributer and a third stand of fil ters and so on throughout the system, the last pressure equalizer and distributer connecting with the place of use, and means for cutting out any one or anystand of filters in the series without interfering with the operation of the others, whereby to permit cleansing or repair, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a plurality of fil ters and a pressure equalizer and distributer cooperating with each of the filters, of heating means for preventing the water either in the filters or in the pressure equalizer and distributer from freezing, substantially as de scribed. I

7. The combination with a plurality of filters and a pressure equalizer and distributer, of heating-coils, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB WEIDMANN.

Witnesses:

FRANK R. LEONORI, WM. MCGILL.

IIO 

